Headquarters of German car maker BMW in South Korea were raided by police on Thursday due to an on going investigation into the defects that led to a series of engine fires.

Over 40 BMW models, all with diesel engines and built between March 2011 and November 2016, are affected. (Photo: Reuters)

HIGHLIGHTS

A team of 30 officers was sent to search the headquarters

More than 40 BMWs caught fire in South Korea earlier this year

BMW was asked to recall 1,06,000 cars for inspection

Headquarters of German car maker BMW in South Korea were raided by police on Thursday due to an on going investigation into the defects that led to a series of engine fires.

A team of 30 officers was sent to search the headquarters, the Yonhap news agency reported.

More than 40 BMWs caught fire in South Korea earlier this year, prompting customers to file a complaint to police and seek a criminal investigation against the company and its top officials.

A probe was launched on August 15 by the South Korean Transport Ministry as the German car maker was asked to recall a total of 1,06,000 cars for an obligatory safety inspection.

Over 40 BMW models, all with diesel engines and built between March 2011 and November 2016, are affected.

BMW Korea chief Kim Hyo Joon had apologized for the fires, blaming the problem on a defect in the vehicles' exhaust gas recirculation cooler.

"We will conduct a thorough investigation to reveal the truth," police said on Thursday after confiscating documents and other materials on the ground.

In South Korea, six out of 10 imported cars are from Germany, with BMW selling nearly 39,000 vehicles in the first six months of this year, according to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association.